Super Freak
by Paige242
Summary: Chris is sick. Piper mothers him...and Paige gets some answers. (A Season Six One-Shot set after Hyde School Reunion).


"Watch out. Hot liquid, coming through!"

Paige looked up from her book to see her oldest sister rushing through the manor's living room, a heavily loaded tray in hand.

She quickly tucked in her feet as the woman dashed past and she caught a quick glimpse of what was being carried.

There was, as announced, a mug of steaming liquid—along with several lozenges, a thermometer, some tissues, and a very generous helping of Piper's famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Paige was perplexed but, before she could ask her sister who warranted such treatment, the older witch had begun her dash up the stairs and disappeared from view. Apparently, she was in a hurry and she was surprisingly quick for a woman who was five-months pregnant with her second child.

As Paige paused for a moment she remembered that Phoebe was out of town for the weekend. And since Wyatt was too young for hot tea and throat lozenges, that only left one possible person as Piper's target.

The almighty Chris might have finally worn out and Paige could not suppress an amused grin as she began to picture him squirming uncomfortably under Piper's doting gaze.

Ever since Victor had come over and talked some sense into him the other witchlighter had agreed to spend most nights in the manor's guest room, much to his mother's delight. That didn't mean he had fully embraced rejoining the family, however—he was still guarded and Piper only managed to get him to stay for dinner a couple of times a week. Like it or not, the young man was laser focused on his mission and it was rare for him to simply relax.

But now, perhaps, he did not have a choice.

If he was sick, then he would have to stay put. And the purposeful and excited expression on Piper's face a few moments earlier was enough to tell her that the oldest Charmed One was pleased to force him under her protective wing.

Perhaps it was somewhat malicious of her, but Paige could not suppress her growing curiosity. She had come to love her neurotic nephew from the future, but she was always amused to see him let his guard down. He had begun to feel like the little brother she had never had and it was fun to watch him squirm.

So rather than simply picture the argument he was probably having with his mother at that very moment she decided to go see it for herself.

Placing her book down on the side table, Paige hopped up from her spot and made her way upstairs to the guest room.

As predicted, Piper and Chris were both inside—Chris tucked firmly into the bed and Piper hovering at his side, a handful of cough drops now in hand.

"Come on, sweetheart. These might help." The Charmed One tried, attempting to pass one of the medicated candies to her son.

Chris wrinkled up his nose in disgust and shook his head firmly. "No way, those things are gross." The was a pause as he slumped back against his propped up pillows. "You do this every time," he muttered, pouting down at the blankets.

Paige had to fight back a chuckled as she watched the scene unfold.

Ever since Piper had found out his true identity there had been several moments like these. Chris tried so hard to be mature and composed, but when his mother goaded him he could quickly revert into a grumpy teenager. He was as stubborn as her and they often proved to be an explosive combination.

Paige briefly wondered what his actual teenage years had been like. At least Piper was getting in a bit of practice now.

"Christopher." The older witch said with a warning tone.

Defiantly, the boy waved his hand, orbing the "gross" lozenges out of her hand and out of sight.

"Personal gain!" The woman protested, increasingly annoyed.

"No, I was saving myself from further nausea." He quickly shot back. "I'll eat the cookies though, thanks."

As he reached out for one, Piper brusquely slapped his hand away.

"No way, mister." She said firmly, going into full mom mode. "Medicine first, _then_ cookies."

Chris let out a dramatic groan before grudgingly summoning back one of the cough drops and angerly popping it into his mouth.

"I wouldn't be giving in this easily if they weren't my favourite." He muttered bitterly, wincing at the taste of the much-despised lozenge.

Piper smirked, satisfied by her efforts. She had won this round, it seemed.

Feeling a bit guilty about her current eavesdropping, Paige finally decided to make her presence known and she knocked lightly on the door before entering. Now that she had a clearer view, she should see the clear signs of illness on Chris' face. His skin was pale, his eyes were a bit puffy and his nose was red. And he certainly did not look quite like his regular self and Paige could not help but feel a bit bad for the guy.

Being sick sucked.

"Great, a bigger audience." The young man muttered sarcastically before biting down on the cough drop he had tried to resist.

He chewed it for a moment, then swallowed, before turning to his mother with a triumphant smile.

Piper rolled her eyes but, this time, did not stop him from picking up one of the cookies. Technically, he had upheld his side of the bargain.

"So, not feeling so hot, dearest nephew?" Paige asked, perching herself at the end of the bed as he swallowed his first bite.

Chris gave an eye roll that was nearly identical to his mother's before replying. "Do you think I'd be allowing this to happen otherwise?" He asked, gesturing around the room.

As Paige took a look she could see that Piper had already done more than bring a tray of helpful items. The guestroom chair was piled high with extra blankets, there was a half-finished bowl of soup on the mantle, a teddy bear on the bedside table and (most amusingly) a pair of Leo's crumpled pajamas on the floor.

Paige was willing to bet that he had rejected those vehemently.

"Come on now, Chris." Paige began again, her amusement still clear. "I know your mom goes overboard."

Piper let out an annoyed scoff, which Paige ignored.

"But I kinda like letting her look after me when I'm sick." She paused. "Which isn't often, thankfully."

Unlike most people, Paige only got sick once every few years. She seemed to have a superhuman immune system. Which was especially lucky considering what tended to happen when she did fall ill. Her sneezes were always accompanied by involuntary orbing—thanks to her rather unique heritage—and there was no way she could go out in public like that.

One time, she had even managed to orb herself to an alternate dimension (needless to say, that had not been fun).

"My next batch of soup should be ready." Piper noted, glancing down at her watch. Thankfully, she did not see Chris' annoyed scowl before she placed a light kiss on his forehead.

"I'll be right back, sweetheart." She said with a warm smile. "Aunt Paige can keep you company."

Chris grumbled something inaudible as she left and Paige raised an amused eyebrow.

He may have been hating all the pampering but it was ever so much fun to watch.

Piper really was leaping on this unusual opportunity to get to know him better.

They had known him for over a year and a half now, but he was still so full of mysteries.

As she looked back over at Chris, Paige was struck by a sudden thought. She had been so preoccupied with the mother-son bickering that she had almost overlooked something even more intriguing.

Her face suddenly lit up with excitement.

"You're half-whitelighter too!" She proclaimed, eliciting a snort from the young man.

"Well done, Sherlock." He replied before sniffling and rubbing his nose. "Your point?"

Paige stuck out her tongue for a moment before continuing. "Well, when I'm sick," She began again, her curiosity growing. "It's not exactly normal. When I sneeze, I can't stop myself from orbing out. It's some sort of involuntary whitelighter thing, I guess."

The boy let out a long sigh.

"Actually, it's a half-whitelighter thing." He corrected glumly as he glanced over at Leo's crumpled pajamas. "Regular whitelighters don't get sick. They're immune to human illnesses. But, since we're part human, we're not. And our whitelighter half doesn't know how to deal with it properly."

"So it happens to you too?" She asked excitedly.

Perhaps it was a bit silly to be so happy about this revelation—after all, it wasn't exactly a good quality to have. But, Paige supposed, it felt good to finally share this very strange bond with someone. Until Wyatt had been born, she had been the only witch-whitelighter hybrid on the planet. She had always tried not to dwell on it too much, but it had been a lonely thought.

Once Chris had reveled his true nature she had been pretty excited, despite his earlier deception. She loved Wyatt, but he couldn't talk yet—Chris was the first one she could actually discuss things with. And they had on a couple of occasions.

This particular topic had never come up, however.

"Yeah, it happens to me too." He replied, a hint of bitterness in his tone. There was no doubt that Chris hated being weak and he probably wouldn't have agreed to stay holed up in the manor if his illness did not put him at serious risk of exposure.

"I don't get sick often either." He continued, picking up on her earlier comment. "The whole not-entirely-human thing does help us fight off most bugs." A scowl crossed his face. "I guess Leo was good for one, thing, at least." He muttered, making no effort to hide his distaste for his absentee father. "But when I do get sick I basically have to hide. Like you."

Paige gave him an understanding smile before he continued.

"Don't tell mom, but it was a pretty close call this time." He said, his voice lower than it had been before. "I was following a lead with a pack of Kazer demons when I sneezed. Thankfully, none of them saw me and I got the hell out of there before I sneezed again." He let out an annoyed huff. "You can't exactly go undercover with demons when you involuntarily dissolve into heavenly blue lights."

She laughed before nodding in agreement, relieved that he had escaped unscathed. He'd had quite a few close calls recently—most notably with the Scabber demons.

Chris was right—it was probably best not to tell Piper.

As if on cue, the older woman bustled back into the room with yet another tray in hand. This time, it contained the bowl of aforementioned soup, along with a small vase of freshly cut flowers (which she placed down next to the teddy bear before he could protest).

Paige had to fight back another laugh as she watched his face. His ongoing annoyance was clear—but she was pretty sure that there was a hint of contentment there too. Behind all of the surly protests, there was no question that Chris loved his mother more than anything.

Apparently, he was starting to soften because the young man let out a deep sigh before accepting the soup without protest.

"Thanks, mom." He said, eliciting a million-watt smile from his doting mother.

Chris only took a few spoonful's, however, before suddenly placing it down on the bedside table and quickly reaching for a tissue.

They could all see the sneeze coming on, and he did not manage to get the tissue to his nose in time.

ACHOO!

The sound echoed through the room as Chris' body dissolved into a flurry of orbs.

A moment later, he reappeared, looking both sheepish and annoyed.

"See?" He muttered, exchanging a look with his Aunt. "I'm a super freak too."

Piper looked mortified by the proclamation and she quickly rushing to his side and brushing a stray strand of hair from his tired eyes.

"You're not a freak." She tutted, clearly displeased. "You're my handsome little angel."

Chris let out his loudest groan yet and Paige could not hold back her laugh this time. Piper shot her a glare, but the youngest sister quickly scooted away, backing up towards the door.

"Mom!" Chris whined in annoyance, his pouty teenage side once again racing to the surface. "Don't call me that!"

Piper opened her mouth to reply but Paige cut in before it could get any worse.

"I'll leave you two to it, then!" She proclaimed before giving her nephew an amused wink. He looked at her pleadingly, clearly not being keen on left alone with his overly concerned mother, but she ignored his silent request and made her way into the hallway.

Paige could hear the bickering begin again as soon as she left, but the young woman's smile did not fade.

She may have been a "super freak," as her nephew had bitterly put it, but at least she was not alone.

That was a greater comfort than he would ever know.

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A/N- I love Chris and Paige stories, and I hope you enjoyed this one! Let me know!

I'm home sick and it seemed like a good time to get this plot bunny out of my head!


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